They were taken in Russia, by the Gulf of Finland.
There's as much garbage and rubble on shore as there is sand, which is kind of shocking at first. It looks much nicer in the winter time, but it's also kind of weird in that the sun rarely comes up, giving everything a rather foggy blue tint to it most days.
Still, it was a great place to go for long walks when you were feeling pensive. Desolate, but also kind of serene in its own peculiar way.